RDA TIGER is a new project tasked with providing support services for the Working Groups (WGs) within the Research Data Alliance. 

Interview with Ryan O'Connor, RDA Europe Senior Facilitator 

Can you briefly describe your role as an RDA TIGER Facilitator? 

As the Senior Facilitator on the RDA TIGER project, my main responsibilities are around working directly with the Working Groups that TIGER supports. These Groups are a mix of Pilot WGs, which we onboarded to TIGER at the outset of the project, and WGs that applied for TIGER support via our rolling open calls. I work closely with established and prospective Working Group co-chairs on things like preparing their Group’s Case Statement, generating interest in and promoting the WG, and connecting the Group to other relevant initiatives, as well as more admin-like tasks such as arranging meetings and ensuring that all WG documentation is up-to-date

Which RDA Working Groups are you currently supporting? 

As a lot of the Working Groups that TIGER supports are in their early stages so the Facilitation service is in high demand. Of the six Pilot WGs the project is supporting I’m working closely with the ‘Community-based catalogue of requirements for trustworthy Technical Repository Service Providers (TRSPs)’ WG, the ‘Multilingual SSH Vocabularies Alignment’ WG, the ‘Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Data’ WG, and the ‘FAIRification of Genomic Tracks’ WG. Of the groups which have received support via applying to our open calls, I’m currently working with the ‘Harmonised terminologies and schemas for FAIR data in materials science and related domains’ WG. We have also recently taken on a further five WGs who applied for support before our last open call deadline in August – I’ll be providing Facilitation support to these too over the next few months.

What is the added value of having an RDA TIGER facilitator support a WG, in your experience? 

From the feedback we have received so far I think the co-chairs appreciate how the Facilitation service can help lower the bar for starting up a Working Group. A lot of the Facilitation support is aimed at the early set-up stages of WGs and the service we provide here is designed to allow co-chairs to focus as much as possible on the scope and aims of the WG rather than having to devote their attention to the management or set-up of the Group.

What is the most important task for a Facilitator? 

To be able to communicate with the WG co-chairs and understand how the Facilitation and other services can support them. Each WG will operate differently so understanding the needs of each is very important – there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

What is the biggest challenge you are facing in the role? 

Like most people working in the general area of research support finding time to devote to tasks can be difficult. Especially in busy periods (such as the lead up to an RDA Plenary) each Group we support will have activities that need to be carried out

Can you share one piece of best practice or a lesson learnt that will benefit the RDA Group chairs and the rest of the community?

From my own perspective, the easiest and most effective piece of advice I would give is this: Keep notes! With so many of the Groups we are starting at their early stages, many of the tasks that need to be carried out are similar – having some sort of record of what needs to be done for whom by whom is key to making sure tasks aren’t overlooked.

Interview with Carlos Martinez-Ortiz,Community Manager at Netherlands eScienceCenter

RDA TIGER Facilitator 

Can you briefly describe your role as an RDA TIGER Facilitator?

We help the WG chairs to navigate the complex research software landscape, meaning identifying other meaningful stakeholders and initiatives and scoping their plans. We also provide some support with the practical considerations that come with running a WG.

Which RDA Working Groups are you currently supporting?

PRO4RS WG

What is the added value of having an RDA TIGER facilitator support a WG, in your experience?

So far, we have helped establish a link between the WG and national initiative working on similar topic.

What is the most important task for a Facilitator?

Helping with communication: between the working group, with RDA secretariat and with the outside world.

What is the biggest challenge you are facing in the role?

We are still figuring out many things. But I am sure that as we go forward and have more experience with different WGs, it will become clearer how we can best support the WGs.

Can you share one piece of best practice or a lesson learnt that will benefit the RDA Group chairs and the rest of the community?

One thing that I have noticed is that most people are willing to collaborate, and sometimes just asking for help gets you a very long way towards solving an issue. So a lesson learnt is to not be afraid of asking for help when you need it.